The present invention relates generally to a press brake tool cabinet and, more particularly, to a press brake tool cabinet having a downward opening transparent front door that allows a user to quickly locate press brake tools stored in drawers of the cabinet without first opening the door.
A press brake is a machine tool for bending sheet and plate material. The machine tool forms predetermined bends by clamping a work piece between matching punch and die tools. The tools are heavy and bulky and are typically stored in cabinets. Changing dies is a time consuming and difficult task so that making the process easier and more efficient is desirable. Typical press brake tool cabinets consist of a cabinet shell with non-transparent steel drawers so that the contents of each drawer is unknown except to the extent an operator remembers the location of specific tools.
The invention discussed in connection with the described embodiments below address deficiencies of the press brake tool cabinet field. The features and advantages of the present invention will be explained in or become apparent from the following summary and detailed description of the preferred embodiment considered together with the accompanying drawings.
The tool cabinet of the present invention allows for quick, easy and efficient tool selections by a user, and does so with a cabinet that is compact and robust. The tool cabinet described in detail below is relatively low cost, safe, easy to use, aesthetically pleasing in appearance and relatively easy to manufacture and assemble.
Briefly summarized the invention relates to a press brake tool cabinet including a cabinet with a plurality of extendable drawers, two side panels and a rear panel, left and right track systems mounted to the cabinet in front of the drawers, and a transparent door mounted to the left and right track systems in front of the drawers, the door being movable between an upper closed position and a lowered open position.
The invention also relates to a method for assembling a press brake tool cabinet including the steps of constructing a frame assembly having a front and a rear, attaching left and right cabinet door track systems to the frame assembly, forming a cabinet door of transparent polycarbonate slats, and mounting the cabinet door to the left and right track systems to allow movement of the cabinet door between an upward closed position and a downward open position.
For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the invention, the accompanying drawings and detailed description illustrate the preferred embodiments thereof, from which the invention, its structures, its construction and operation, its processes, and many related advantages may be readily understood and appreciated.
The following description is provided to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the described embodiments set forth in the best mode contemplated for carrying out the invention. Various modifications, equivalents, variations, and alternatives, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Any and all such modifications, variations, equivalents, and alternatives are intended to fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Referring now to
A frame assembly 40,
The track system 60 includes a left vertically oriented front portion 64,
Left and right stop brackets, of which only the left stop bracket 90,
When the door is moved upward toward its closed position the appropriate pin bears against a first surface 114 tracing a slight upward and rearward path until the pin traces a curved surface 116, reversing the movement of the pin while passing around a protruding lip 118, to a curved surface 120 where the pin moves forward and slightly downward into a trough 122. The trough 122 captures the pin, and the lip 118 guards against the pin from slipping out and allowing inadvertent downward movement of the door. The pins are attached to the door so that when the pins are captured they will support the door in its closed position. The right hanger plate is identical to the left hanger plate and operates in the same manner.
The door 24 is formed of transparent polycarbonate slats, such as the rectangular slat 130,
The door is movable between an upper or closed position illustrated in
As mentioned, each rectangular slat is preferably formed of transparent polycarbonate. A major advantage of using a strong transparent material such as polycarbonate is that a user of the tool cabinet is able to view the press brake tools in the drawers without the time wasting requirement of opening the drawers. The term “transparent” is used here to mean that there is little diffusion or distortion of light so that the user is able to make out the shape of press brake tools by visual inspection through a closed door. The strength of polycarbonate is useful in factory and shop environments because of the large and heavy tools and work pieces being moved about. To help view the interior of the tool cabinet, a light 210,
In the alternative, the door may be formed from more or less slats than illustrated in the drawings, or may ever be formed from a single sheet of flexible, transparent material with appropriate frame members and track systems. Also, other transparent materials may be used for the door, if desired.
A three-in-one lock system 220,
Two drawer slides 260, 262,
It is noted that throughout this detailed disclosure, words such as “upper,” “lower,” “top,” “bottom,” “front,” and “rear,” as well as like terms, refer to portions of the press brake tool cabinet and its structures and elements as they are viewed in the drawings relative to other structures, elements or portions, or in relationship to the positions of the structures, elements and portions as they will typically be positioned in the finished cabinet when in use.
In operation of the downward opening, transparent front cabinet door 24, a user desiring to remove a press brake tool from the cabinet makes a visual inspection through the door to locate the position of the desired tool in one of drawers. This may be done without unlocking and/or opening the door. Allowing visual inspection through the door is quick and efficient. Once the tool is located, the user may then unlock the door and, using the handles, lifts the door off of the hanger plates. Thereafter, while the user continues to grip the handles the door is lowered to its open position (with the help of the pulley system) and the user removes the tool. The stop brackets limit the downward and rearward movement of the door. To close and secure the tool cabinet, the user merely grabs the handles and lifts the door (again with help from the pulley system) to the closed position where the guide pins of the upper most slat arrangement rest in the hanger plates, and the lock system reengages with the door, the utility drawer and the stacked locking blocks.
The present invention also includes a method 300,
It may now be understood that the press tool cabinet 10 is of relatively simple and robust construction that is relatively easy to manufacture and assemble. The cabinet is easy to use, offering the see-through door that allows quick, easy and efficient selection of press brake tools stored in the cabinet. Operating the cabinet door is also simple and easy, especially with the balancing pulley systems. The placement of an internal light facilitates tool selection and may give the cabinet a pleasing and high tech appearance.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that there has been provided features for an improved press brake tool cabinet with a transparent door that opens downward as well as a disclosure for the method for assembling the tool cabinet with the door. While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. Therefore, the aim is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. The matters set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings are offered by way of illustrations only and not as limitations. The actual scope of the invention is to be defined by the subsequent patent claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art.
This application claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 120 from U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/904,485 filed Nov. 15, 2013, entitled “Tool Cabinet With Downward Opening Transparent Front Door”, U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/904,491 filed Nov. 15, 2013, entitled “Press Brake Tool Cabinet Drawer Having Rotatable Front Panel”, U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 12/272,491, filed on Nov. 17, 2008, entitled “Safety Lock System For Cabinet Drawers,” now U.S. Pat. No. 8,696,074, and U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 14/075,591, filed on Nov. 8, 2013, entitled “Universal Safety Lock System For Tool Cabinets” which are all expressly incorporated herein by these references.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20140225485 A1 | Aug 2014 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61904485 | Nov 2013 | US | |
61904491 | Nov 2013 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12272491 | Nov 2008 | US |
Child | 14257771 | US | |
Parent | 14075591 | Nov 2013 | US |
Child | 12272491 | US |